August 7^th, 2019 – SITAEL Headquarters in Mola di Bari – Despite Puglia’s incredibly hot climate in these days, the most important Italian Space industries are 100% operative for PLATiNO-1 Mission, the first one for the homonymous ASI program, validating in orbit both the PLATiNO platform and the SAR payload.

PLATiNO is the All-electric Multi-purpose 200kg small satellite platform, deployable in constellation and suitable for a wide range of multi-mission applications (Optical, SAR, Telecom, etc.).

The SAR payload on board PLATiNO-1, designed and manufactured by Thales Alenia Space in Italy, is an innovative Micro-SAR, able to image both in passive and active mode, that literally redefines the market performance of this technology. Combined with the high power that the PLATiNO platform is able to provide, PLATiNO-1 can guarantee up to 5 minutes scan time per orbit, performance nowadays unmatched in the Micro-SAR sector, with ground resolution up to 1 meter.
This breakthrough performances, coupled with the PLATiNO’s agility, provide a unique product on the market and give birth to a completely new kind of interoperability among different missions.

PLATiNO-1 mission is split in two phases:

Phase-1: in formation with either a Cosmo-SkyMed or Cosmo-SG satellite at 619 km altitude, PLATiNO-1  demonstrates the SAR imaging capabilities in passive mode with low power consumption and works in synergy with Cosmo-SkyMed constellation in a bistatic SAR configuration;

Phase-2: PLATiNO-1, thanks to the SITAEL low power HET electric propulsion (HT100), moves to a lower orbit at 410 km demonstrating both the orbital transfer capabilities and, once reached the new orbit, the high resolution SAR capabilities in active mode.

Mr. Saccoccia, President of the Italian Space Agency said that “ASI is proud of having started such a challenging programme that will pave the way toward a new concept of minisaltellites missions that represent an innovative and low cost option to access space with fairly high performances both at payload and platform levels.”

Mr. Pierluigi Pirrelli, SITAEL Space Managing Director, said: “PLATiNO-1 is the first Italian answer and a real cornerstone in the small satellite market, the most promising sector for the Space Economy and we wish a tremendous good luck to the whole team for this incredible challenge.”

 

About ASI

ASI was founded in 1988. Its purpose was to coordinate all of Italy’s efforts and investments in the space sector that had begun in the 1960s. ASI has become one of the most significant players in the world in space science, satellite technologies and the development of mobile systems for exploring the Universe. Today, it has a key role at the European level where Italy is the third contributor country to the European Space Agency. ASI’s strong relationship with NASA has led to its participation in many of the most interesting scientific missions of recent years such as the construction and activities of the International Space Station. Thanks to ASI’s efforts, the Italian scientific community has had unprecedented successes in recent years in astrophysics and cosmology. ASI has also significantly contributed to space exploration. One of ASI most important programme is Cosmo-SkyMed, aimed at improving our knowledge of the Earth, but ASI also has the leadership in the European programme VEGA, the small rocket fully designed in Italy.www.asi.it

 

About Thales Alenia Space

Drawing on over 40 years of experience and a unique combination of skills, expertise and cultures, Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Governments and private industry alike count on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite-based systems that provide anytime, anywhere connections and positioning, monitor our planet, enhance management of its resources, and explore our Solar System and beyond. Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the parent companies’ Space Alliance, which offers a complete range of services. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of about 2.5 billion euros in 2018 and has around 8,000 employees in nine countries. www.thalesaleniaspace.com

 

About SITAEL S.p.A.

SITAEL is the largest privately-owned Space Company in Italy and worldwide leader in the Small Satellites sector. With highly qualified employees and state-of-the-art facilities, SITAEL covers a wide range of activities in development of small satellite platforms, advanced propulsion systems and on board avionics, providing turn-key solutions for Earth observation, telecom and science. Being one of the main players of the Space Economy, SITAEL is changing the way to conceive space products, both in the upstream and downstream segments, providing, thanks to its IoT capabilities, competitive smart services for a wide range of applications. SITAEL belongs to Angel Group, an Italian holding world leader in Railway, Aerospace and Aeronautics markets. For further information visit sitael.com